Rev. Ray and Pat Amos

Luke 6:44

DEVOTION FOR TODAY, August 3, 2019

“Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers.”

We take pictures of roses, but never focus on the thorns; neither will anyone cut off the blooms and make a vase of thorny stems. Forgive my foolishness but why then do we focus so easily on the thorns of life?

It is possible for us to go all day being pricked by the thorns of negativity, and at the same time never see or smell any of the beautiful flowers that are all about us. It may even be possible that we have come to prefer the thorns over positive living; we have that choice. Negativity is a very bad habit; it is also a sin that destroys our witness for Christ.

I once followed a mountain path into a briar patch. It soon became a maze, and getting out was both difficult and painful. Why would we want to walk into a briar patch of “woe is me” and “nothing is right” when we can walk with Jesus in the beautiful garden of daily life?

“But, there are thorns in my life,” you say. Yes, there are also hundreds of thorns on a rose bush, but we still smell the roses and love their beauty. It is a matter of what we choose to focus on. The Apostle Paul had a “thorn in his flesh,” and he gave us an example of what to do when we have one. He prayed about it three times and when God said, “this one has to remain in your life, but I will give you strength to endure;” he expressed that he would trust God and live on in victory (and he did).

This earthy journey grows a day shorter with each sunset. There is no time for anything that drags life down. Too many people are unhappy with no real reason except that they choose to pose with the thorns instead of smelling the roses. What do you choose today?

Grace and Peace, Rev Ray

“Link to YouTube Video – You’ve Got to Stop and Smell the Roses”